Thirty nine people, including eight children, were killed after a company-owned boat carrying Hong Kong Electric employees and their families was upended by a regular passenger ferry off Lamma, an outlying island. Revelers had been en route to Victoria Harbor to watch fireworks celebrating China's National Day on October 1.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Kevin Zervos, told the commission that he expects police to bring charges as early as next month against the seven crew members arrested from both boats.

On Friday, the commission's chairman denied all applications to adjourn the hearing to a later date.

Information presented at the public commission of inquiry would unduly influence potential members of the jury, Zervos had argued on Wednesday, requesting the commission postpone hearing evidence related to the cause of the collision. The chairman said that a judge in a criminal trial would instruct the jury to review evidence presented in court and ignore information they had received in any other way.

Photos: Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash 26 photos

Photos: Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash26 photos

Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash – Mourners accompanied by Taoist priests take boats on Thursday, October 4, to go to the scene of the boat collision that killed 38 people off Lamma Island, near Hong Kong, on October 1. They throw paper offerings for the dead into the sea.

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Photos: Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash26 photos

Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash – Mourners throw paper offerings into the sea Thursday during a ceremony held for the victims of the ferry collision.

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Photos: Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash26 photos

Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash – A girl stands in front of a memorial at a ferry pier on Thursday. Hong Kong held a three-day, city-wide mourning period honoring those who died in Monday's ferry collision.

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Photos: Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash26 photos

Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash – People line up Thursday to enter Saint John's Anglican Church for a memorial service for the ferry crash victims.

Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash – A survivor is helped onto an ambulance. The crash necessitated what local police called a "major rescue" operation, according to China's state-run media.

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Photos: Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash26 photos

Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash – Local residents try to get a glimpse of rescue personnel as they tend to a victim Monday night. The incident happened around 8:20 p.m. local time, just off the coast of Lamma Island, southwest of Hong Kong.

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Photos: Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash26 photos

Deadly Hong Kong ferry crash – Rescuers search for survivors near the crash site. More than 100 people were picked up.

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The chairman also rejected applications from lawyers representing the boat operators and crews to adjourn the hearing until next month. They had requested more time to review 30 boxes of government documents, compiled by rescue services, marine officials, and other departments.

The commission of inquiry was appointed in October to investigate the causes of the accident, assess safety practices of passenger vessels, and make recommendations to avoid similar incidents. It will not determine civil or criminal liability.

The hearing will begin on December 12. The commission is expected to submit its report to the Chief Executive, the city's leader, by April.